Pêche

1885 · réf. 29717 — London: Field and Tuer Leadenhall Press 1885. First Edition and one of only 100 Large-Paper Copies of a total edition of only 600 copies. SIGNED BY THE PUBLISHER AND SPECIALLY BOUND MOST PROBABLY FOR PRESENTATION. With a profusion of hand-colored woodcut plates after Joseph Crawhall in chapbook style and with bound-in cloth pockets labeled in black. 8vo in very beautiful contemporary full red-orange calf likely a binding for presentation purposes the boards are elaborately decorated with a very wide and exquisitly detailed borders of stylized thistles the spine with central gilt tooling gilt depicting fish and tackle bags within double-gilt ruled compartments separated by gilt ruled raised bands two compartments with gilt lettering board edges and turn-ins gilt tooled in floral motif page edges untrimmed green endpapers. 112 8 pp. A very handsome copy of an especially elusive book lavishly bound likely a presentation copy and unique thus the binding well preserved and sturdy with some light evidence of age or use some general mellowing the text retains the original pockets and black leaves all as pristine. A bit of mild offsetting from the cloth pockets. FIRST EDITION OF ONE OF CRAWHALL'S FINEST PRODUCTIONS IN ITS BEST AND MOST LIMITED FORMAT. This abridged edition of THE COMPLEAT ANGLER contains 36 songs and poems taken from the text of the fifth edition. The prospectus promises that this collection will 'rank amongst the quaintest and most covetable' and we have to agree. The book includes small cloth pockets for the owner's own use. They have whimsicle labels such as "Fysshe Tales I believe" a very small one and the much larger "Fysshe Tales I don't believe". Also for the owner's personal use are 24 blank ruled leaves entitled 'Fysshe Stories' bound in at the rear for the owner to write in his own stories. These leaves are un-used. Field and Tuer, Leadenhall Press hardcover